Chapter 15: Only Babies Cry

Sam sat in the vinyl chair close to the entrance of the hospital room, glancing up every few seconds at the hospital bed where his restrained partner was now sleeping.

Kensi was just to Sam's left, seated next Marty on the small couch. The three continued to converse softly, recalling times Callen had gotten himself into complicated fixes (some of which were of his own doing), requiring Sam to execute an impromptu rescue mission.

At first, Sam's smiles were forced. Too worried, and frankly too exhausted to weed out his irrational thoughts, Sam still felt responsible for his friend's current physical, and emotional state. Strangely, however, these accounts of G facing danger, and even suffering serious injuries in the past, gradually brought a small measure of comfort to the big guy – reminding him: G Callen is a survivor.

The muscles in the back of the ex-SEAL's neck had just begun to relax when Callen's body suddenly jerked. Sam sprung from his chair and was at his partner's side in a split second.

Callen jerked again. This time, a faint, raspy moan followed.

Sam froze in place for a minute, staring down at G, his brow tense from worry, only returning to his chair when he was confident Callen was resting.

Over the next hour, Callen roused several times, sometimes opening his eyes and looking around with dazed eyes, and several times raising his head from the pillow and squeezing his eyes shut tight from apparent pain.

Landon had come by once to monitor vital signs, and had now returned to check the restraints. He walked around to the other side of the bed and checked his patient's left wrist and ankle. Fortunately, Callen was sleeping fairly soundly and did not protest the intrusion. After coming around and examining the right ankle, the male nurse moved the blanket off of Callen's right arm. He shook his head, replaced the covers, and turned and faced the three who were sitting along the wall. "I can't get a good look at the right wrist without removing the restraint and the splint. I'm going to give Dr. Lee a call and see if we can start releasing one restraint at a time."

Sam shared the nurse's concern; G had been restrained for far too long. He knew how restraints worked on a person's body. All SEALs did. Time and restraints usually joined forces to work against the prisoner's circulation and ability to fight back. A body that wasn't able to move around became less and less of a threat simply because bodies were meant to move. Ceasing that movement was a cruel way to subdue an enemy, and they were doing this to G. He didn't like it, at all. "Can't we just take them off? He's been calm for a while."

Landon shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. The Theradin is time-released and there's a chance he'll start fighting us again. Dr. Lee just doesn't want to risk another fall; especially in light of the fact we don't know yet what's going on with him neurologically."

The large agent crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair, and let out a very frustrated breath. Although he gave a quick nod of understanding, Sam was not at all happy with leaving his partner tied to the bed.

After the nurse had left the room, Kensi stood and stretched her slender arms high above her head. "I need to take a break. You two want something from the vending machines while I'm down there?"

"I'm good," Sam answered, his tone a little more grumpy than he intended.

Marty raised his eyebrows at his partner. "Why don't I come with you?"

"Deeks. I don't need you to hold my hand while I go to the restroom."

"Oh… Well, in that case, I could use a soda… And maybe crackers, and some cookies… And chips?" He trailed off.

Kensi smiled at her partner, knowing he was a bit nervous about being left alone in the room with a worried, grumpy Sam. "I got it," She said when Marty reached for his wallet.

"What?" Deeks' eyes grew wide. "Where can money even fit in those jeans?" His wisecrack about his partner's skin-tight jeans earned him a prompt kick to the shin. "Ow! What was that for?!"

All eyes went to the bed when Callen stirred and groaned.

"I swear," Sam warned, "If you two wake him up, I'm gonna toss Deeks out that window."

"Me?" Deeks squeaked defensively, voice in a self-protective whisper. "Why am I the one that's gonna be thrown from the fourth floor? She started it."

Kensi pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. She turned to Sam, who was also now trying hard to fight back a smile. "Sam. You sure you don't want anything?"

"Maybe just a water."

Kensi had been gone for a few minutes when Callen moaned loudly, his body simultaneously tensing beneath the sheets. He took in a quick breath and held it.

Sam and Marty scrambled to the bedside. Callen was obviously in pain.

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Something was wrong.

G tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were too heavy. He needed to focus. He could hardly breathe; there was so much pain!

He tried to move and quickly realized something, or someone was holding his arms and legs down. Everything on his right side hurt. But his right arm… No, right hand and wrist, hurt really bad! He needed to catch his breath and figure out where he was and what was going on.

G stilled for a few seconds, trying to breathe through the pain.

Then it dawned on him – It must be the Wallace brothers, again! They had picked on him ever since he came to live in their house a few days ago. It started off, the very first day, with Ronnie and Donnie, playing keep-away with his stuffed rabbit. The twins were ten years old, only two years older than he was, but they were big for their age, and very strong...

Their twelve-year-old brother, Carson, had joined in on the tormenting by day two. G suddenly felt himself shudder, remembering how Donnie and Carson had held him down on the floor, flat on his back, while Ronnie stood above him and slowly poured a huge pitcher of ice water onto his face. G thought he was going to drown before the pitcher finally ran empty. The older brother had threatened to break his arms if he told their parents.

That's it! Carson must have broken his arm… That's why it hurt so bad.

But why had Carson hurt his arm? He certainly hadn't told his foster parents what the boys had done.

He would never tell.

He had learned his lesson well in the last orphanage.

Director Brockman always said, 'You never tattle, you never complain, and you never, ever cry. Only babies cry.'

The Director had caught him, a couple of times, crying in his bed when he felt lonely. His punishment was so humiliating that a beating would have actually been preferred.

The memories of that terrible place caused G to shudder again.

The Social Worker lady had told him he would have to go back to the orphanage if he gave Mr. and Mrs. Wallace any trouble. So, he needed to get control.

He must stay still and quiet, and just take whatever the boys dished out.

G tried to imagine he was somewhere else; a place where he was safe. It was working. He felt some of the tension leave his body and he relaxed his head back. The surface underneath his head was soft. The boys were not holding him down on the floor this time; they had him on a bed.

Suddenly, there was another surge of pain. It felt like his hand was being crushed in a vice. He wanted to cry out.

It hurt so bad!

He didn't want to have to go back to that orphanage, but he just couldn't be still any longer. It hurt too much! He needed get away from the boys before they broke his other arm… Or something worse.

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Kensi entered the room to find Deeks and Sam standing at Callen's side. Even with their backs to her, she sensed their concern; something had happened in that short time she was gone. She absentmindedly deposited the snacks on the portable table and hurried around to the other side of the bed.

By now, Callen had begun trying to squirm out of the restraints. He groaned loudly, a pained expression on his face. His eyes suddenly opened. "Get off me!" He grunted out. "Let me go!"

Kensi was the first to respond. She raised her hand and slowly stroked the side of Callen's face. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay."

Seemingly soothed by Kensi's voice and gentle touch, Callen stopped pulling on the restraints. His chest still heaving, he became still and looked up. His moist, blue eyes met those of the woman standing to his left.

Kensi's eyes were met by glassy blue ones. She continued running her fingers along the side of Callen's face, and reassuring him softly, "No one's trying to hurt you. You're safe."

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Breaking eye-contact with the nice lady who was touching his face, G looked around the room.

He was not at the Wallace's house; he was in a hospital room.

Ooohhh! There was that pain in his hand, again – only worse!

He tried hard not to cry out, but couldn't help it. A small sound of distress escaped him.

He closed his eyes tight and took in short breaths, trying to get control. He was acting like a sissy in front of the pretty lady.

Finally, the agony eased enough for him to squint his eyes open again. The lady was still there. But she wasn't scolding him, or making fun of him. She was just looking down at him with kind, brown eyes.

Where did she come from and why was she being so nice to him? Maybe she was a new Social… Owch!

Another sudden pain in his hand caused him to suck in a quick breath of air. Immediately, he realized that was a mistake… taking in such a deep breath made it feel like someone had just stuck a hot knife into his side!

Why did he hurt so bad? What had the Wallace boys done to him? He clinched his teeth together, riding out another wave of pain.

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Callen held his jaw tight for thirty seconds or so, before his features relaxed. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head toward his right shoulder, as if just realizing someone was standing on that side of the bed. He gazed up at Marty in puzzlement. "Danny?"

"I'm here, G." Deeks took one side-step to his right so that Callen wouldn't have to strain his neck to see him.

"Danny. Why are you here?" His voice was soft and unsure.

"I came to see you, buddy."

"But how did you know?"

"Uncle Danny knows everything," Deeks said with a wink.

A small smile began to appear on Callen's face, but quickly disappeared when his eyes closed tight and he inhaled a tiny, pain-filled breath of air.

The three that surrounded the bed, spontaneously moved in closer, each on edge.

Marty placed his palm on Callen's shoulder. "G, what's wrong? What hurts?"

With his eyes still squeezed shut, Callen shook his head negatively.

Except for his quick, labored breathing, Callen finally relaxed. He opened his eyes, his gaze moving down past Deeks, to where Sam standing. Studying Sam's face for a moment, Callen's brow began to furrow in confusion.

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G watched the tall, muscular man who was standing near the foot of his bed next to Danny. He didn't remember ever seeing this man, but there was something about his eyes – something familiar...

Ow! His hand was throbbing again, and now felt like it had been set on fire!

Remembering how bad it had hurt his ribs the last time he took too much air, he leveled his gaze and held his breath.

He could feel the tears building up in his eyes and fought to hold them back. He couldn't let himself cry in front of the man with huge muscles.

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Now staring up at Sam, G grunted softly, his eyes beginning to water. Never breaking eye contact, Callen bit his bottom lip to hold back a grimace. But he was not able to hide the flash of pain in his eyes.

Sam suddenly felt sick to his stomach. On top of being in so much pain, his partner was confused, scared, and didn't trust him.

Callen broke eye contact when he couldn't suppress the next surge of fiery-hot pain. He clenched his teeth, holding his breath for several seconds, and then let out a breath through pursed lips.

"Come on, G," Sam pleaded, careful to keep his tone low and soft. "We can't help you unless you let us know what's going on."

Still breathing hard, Callen looked nervously down at the bed sheets and shook his head.

Marty got down on one knee so that he was just below Callen's eye level. "G, we've talked about this. Nothing's going to happen to you. You can tell me anything."

Callen looked up at Kensi, and then gave Sam a quick, timid glance.

Deeks reached through the rail and touched Callen's shoulder. "They're good guys. They're my friends… G, we need to know what's hurting you."

Callen let his eyes fall shut and turned his head back to midline. Forcing back the sudden need to sob, Callen said softly, "My hand." He turned and looked into Deeks eyes, unable to stop a single tear that rolled down his cheek. "Danny," He said before a faint whimper escaped, "It hurts so bad."

Before Deeks could respond, Sam had bolted from the room. Marty removed his hand from Callen's shoulder and rose to his feet. "We're going to get you some help," He assured him.

Just then, the door swung open. Sam rushed in, with Landon right behind him.

The sudden commotion in the room caused Callen to startle. His wide, fearful eyes met those of the nurse who was coming toward him.

Seeing his friend's reaction, Sam suddenly stopped in his tracks, threw a straight arm out in front of Landon's chest, halting his forward movement, as well. The ex-SEAL responded to the nurse's questioning look with a quick tilt of his head toward the bed.

Landon studied the patient for several seconds before turning back to Sam, asking softly, "Still scared?"

Sam nodded, giving a quiet, one-word explanation. "Kid."

Landon let out a breath. "I see."

Marty leaned in closer to Callen. "This is Landon. He's a nurse. You can trust him."

Deeks stepped back from the bed, and Landon moved slowly into his place. "Your friends tell me your hand is hurting really bad. This one?" Landon asked, gently touching the patient's right forearm.

Callen closed his eyes tight and began to breathe more quickly.

Deeks scrubbed his chin with his palm. "G. I need you to answer the nurse."

With his eyes still closed, Callen nodded once.

Landon moved the blanket and sheet down to Callen's waist. "Let's see if we can figure out what's making your hand hurt." The nurse reached underneath the mattress and untied the restraint, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the patient had opened his eyes and was now watching his every move. With slow and careful movements, Landon removed the restraint and then pulled apart the Velcro straps that were securing the IV splint to Callen's hand.

Even this slight change in position caused Callen to hiss.

Kensi bit her lower lip. Seeing Callen in so much pain, and tied helplessly to the bed, made her stomach twist into knots. Saddened by the vulnerable, abandoned little boy before her, she reached down and took his left hand in hers.

Landon paused to give the patient a moment to catch his breath, and was surprised to see that Callen's eyes were still open wide, trained on the hand in question. "You're doing good," The nurse encouraged. "I just need to take this splint off so I can take a look."

The process of removing the splint caused Callen even more pain. He grimaced and held his breath, his left hand inadvertently squeezing the soft, slender fingers that were holding onto his.

Kensi instinctively ran her thumb back-and-forth over the top of Callen's hand. "Shhh. It's alright…" She soothed.

Callen closed his eyes. His breathing began to slow and his hand relaxed in Kensi's.

Landon frowned down at Callen's swollen right hand. Noting the reddish-purple discoloration, he shook his head. "This isn't good," He said softly, as if talking to himself. He continued a bit more loudly, urgency rising in his voice, "This is way too much swelling. This IV has to come out… Now."

Callen, apparently picking up on the nurse's sudden concern, opened his eyes and stared apprehensively at his hand.

Landon quickly closed the valve in the IV tube, shut off the pump, and pulled a pair of gloves from a box mounted to the wall. He was hurriedly donning his gloves when he realized Callen was, once again, watching his movements with child-like fear in his eyes. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, the nurse knew he needed to slow down – he was causing his patient more distress.

Landon stopped long enough to force a smile. "I'm going to need to take the…" Recalling the patient's aversion to needles, Landon quickly changed his wording in mid-sentence. "…tape off your hand. We'll get you fixed up so you feel better soon. Okay?"

Just seeing the nurse reach for his hand caused Callen to flinch, roughly jerking against the restraints. He squeezed Kensi's fingers. He slowly pulled his only unstrained extremity to his chest, his apprehensive gaze never leaving his throbbing hand.

Landon stopped and looked across to Kensi's pleading eyes. The nurse let out a breath, looked down at the restraint around Callen's left wrist, and gave a single nod of approval. "Just don't take it off his wrist."

Kensi sat down on her heels, wasting no time undoing the knot beneath the mattress. With the long web ties now hanging loosely from the soft wrist band, Kensi wrapped both her hands around the hand she had just released. She raised Callen's hand so that his elbow was bent at a ninety-degree angle.

To everyone's surprise, Callen's attention was drawn from the hand that was hurting, to the one that had just been freed. His lips parted slightly. Then he looked up at Kensi with wide, grateful eyes, like she had just rescued him.

Suddenly overcome by the flash of innocence in his partner's eyes, Sam was forced to look away for a moment. Why hadn't someone come for G when he was a boy?

The mood quickly changed when Callen flinched, turning his attention back to his right, scowling down at the tape that was being carefully removed from his swollen, tender hand. G pressed his lips together and raised his indignant glare up to the nurse who was responsible for the new stinging sensation on the back of his hand.

Landon looked down at the patient and shrugged, apologetically. "Sorry. I think our friend, Anna, wanted to make sure this never came off; I'm beginning to think she used the entire role of tape."

When the fourth strip of tape was removed, Callen hissed, pulling his left hand out of Kensi's grasp in order to cover his injured hand in a protective manner. This resulted in another genuine apology from the nurse.

Callen responded by looking down at the sheets, a stubborn frown on his face. He pulled his throbbing hand to his chest.

Kensi was caught off guard when she looked up to find Sam, Deeks, and the nurse all gazing at her expectantly. Their signal soon became clear to her: she was the one Callen seemed to trust, at the moment.

Kensi let out a breath and looked across at her partner with a 'here I go' expression. With Callen's left hand still secured in hers, she slowly moved her left hand to the side of his face. Gently turning his face toward hers, she leaned in closer. "Callen," She began softly. When his eyes met hers, she told him, "I know it hurts, but you've got to let the nurse do his job... I need you to be brave."

Marty's mouth gaped a little. He could hardly believe the words coming out of his partner's mouth, or the tone in which she had spoken them. Any other time, he might have teased her about going all 'maternal' on him, or warned her about coming across as condescending to their Senior Agent. But at the moment, it seemed to be just what Callen needed to hear.

G cut his eyes up to the nurse who was patiently waiting at his side. Callen lowered his head, a light blush appearing on his pale cheeks. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly straightened his right arm, returning his hand to his side.

Kensi kept her hand on Callen's face, gently guiding his face toward hers, reminding him to look at her, each time he tried to see what the nurse was doing to his hand. She could see the flicker of pain in his eyes each time a piece of tape was removed. When he suddenly gasped from abrupt hurt, his wide, bloodshot blue eyes staring up at her, she knew the IV catheter had been removed from his hand. Kensi moved her hand from his face and released the hand she had been holding.

Callen drew both hands up toward his neck, protectively holding his right hand against his chest.

Landon paused a moment before speaking. "I need to make a call to the doctor." After disposing of the IV needle and his gloves, he hurried from the room.

Still cradling his arm, Callen began to stare vacantly toward the wall in front of him, and the tension seemed to drain from his body.

Sam, Marty, and Kensi stood wordlessly. Though they knew it was temporary, no one seemed to want to disturb Callen's peaceful trance. Attempting to get a read on his awareness level, Kensi moved from his side, down to the foot of the bed. Callen never blinked; in fact, he appeared to be looking right through her.

The nurse returned a short time later, carrying a small, white pouch of ice. He stopped and made brief eye contact with each of the patient's concerned visitors, before passing on the doctor's instructions. "Dr. Lee wants to get another X-ray of this hand this afternoon, just to make sure the swelling is from the IV infiltrating, and not from a displaced fracture. And in light of all that's going on, he gave the okay to wait until later today to restart the IV… Miss Lange asked that we keep her updated on how he's doing. I'll give her a call as soon as I finish up in here. Keep her in the loop."

Landon placed the pouch on the portable table, beside the forgotten snacks Kensi had bought earlier, and pulled two pillows from the closet. "The doctor wants this hand elevated, with intermittent cold compresses, until the swelling is resolved." Landon stacked the pillows on the bed, just to the patient's right side.

Callen's peaceful trance was broken when Landon reached for his arm. G stubbornly pulled his arm in even tighter, scowling up at the nurse.

Deeks, hoping his "Uncle Danny" character had not lost its magic, stepped up to the bedside, next to Landon. "Look, G. You're going to have to cooperate with the nurse if you want to get better. He's following the doctor's orders. He's trying to help you."

They all watched as Callen's agitated stare dissolved into a submissive frown; Marty's intervention seemed to be working. G looked down at his chest, and then slowly straightened out his right elbow, hesitantly presenting his arm to the nurse.

Landon carefully placed the injured arm on the pillows, making adjustments so that it was secure. He turned and retrieved the pouch of ice from the table. "Agent Callen, this is going to get very uncomfortable, but this icepack must stay on your hand for twenty minutes. Okay?"

Either not fully understanding what was going on, or simply choosing to ignore the nurse's instructions, Callen never acknowledged he had been spoken to. The alarmed look on his face, when the icepack was placed on his hand, indicated that he was probably not adequately processing what was being said. Before anyone realized what was happening, Callen reached across with his left hand and dragged the offensive cold packet off his hand.

After exchanging concerned looks with Marty, Landon turned to Sam. The Ex-SEAL looked up at the ceiling, pressed his lips together, and let a breath out through his nose. Landon could see the disappointment, maybe even a hint of dread, in the big agent's eyes.

The nurse huffed out a breath and shook his head. "This isn't going to work." He walked around the foot of the bed, slipping through the space between Kensi and the wall, and made his way to the other side. He grasped the patient's left hand and placed it at the edge of the mattress.

Callen watched in distress as the nurse straightened out both ties leading to the restraint band around his wrist, and then threaded them under the side rail.

When Landon stood up from securing the ties to the bedframe, he could not help but feel saddened by the watery, blue eyes looking up at him. This man was in pain, confused, and afraid.

Landon returned to the patient's right side and reapplied the cold compress, only to have Callen wince, and pull his hand from beneath it. The nurse stepped back from the bed, and waved for the detective to come closer.

Deeks positioned himself next to Callen, and looked down at him with compassionate eyes. "Look, G. If you don't hold still, they'll have to tie this hand down, too. The icepack has to stay on there; it's not an option."

Callen licked his lips, and nervously cut his eyes to the left.

Fingering his cell phone from his jeans' pocket, Sam quickly moved around to Callen's left side. He punched several entries into his phone, and then held it up in front of his partner's face. "I set the timer. Just twenty minutes, G. Then we can take it off. You're tough. You can do this. Twenty minutes."

Callen's gaze slowly went up to the big man standing beside him. He finally responded with a small nod.

"Then let's do this." Sam started the timer and laid the phone on Callen's stomach so that he could watch the countdown.

Marty gently placed the packet of ice back on Callen's hand, and was relieved when G did not pull away, this time.

The nurse nodded at the detective before exiting the room, leaving the ice therapy in the hands of the one who seemed best able to get through to his confused and anxious patient.

Within minutes, however, a frown creased Callen's forehead, and he began to breathe more quickly.

Realizing Callen was quickly approaching a state of panic, Marty leaned over the bedrail to offer encouragement. "G, you're doing good. Just hang in there."

Obviously, expending everything he had to get control, Callen closed his eyes and began taking in small puffs of air.

"That's it, G." Marty said lowly, unable to hide the concern from his voice or his eyes.

Callen finally let out a long, calming breath. When his eyes opened, he looked up at Marty with a curious squint. "Danny… How did you find me?" He asked softly.

"I told you, I just know things."

Callen suddenly hissed and pulled his hand from the ice, again.

"Uh-uh." Deeks gently reprimanded, reaching out, taking Callen's arm, and placing the injured hand back on the pillow. "You have to hold still, or they'll tie this arm down, remember?"

G swallowed and gave a half-nod, showing that he understood what that meant.

Deeks carefully repositioned the icepack. He knew he was stepping off into unchartered waters, but he hoped engaging Callen in conversation would distract him while he continued the ice treatment. "G, do you know where you are?"

"Hospital." Callen replied through gritted teeth.

"Do you remember why you're here?"

Callen looked down at his chest, and his clenched jaw was replaced with a frown. The look in his eyes was dark and haunted, and Deeks recognized it immediately.

"Did someone hurt you?"

Callen turned his head away. The classic move of a foster kid who didn't want to talk.

Marty paused a moment and closed his eyes, pushing down his own memories of abuse. This could blow up in his face if he kept going forward, but something deep inside his heart urged him to ask. Maybe just to air whatever this child-Callen needed someone to hear. Maybe so he could just have a moment of someone having his back. "Did a grown-up hurt you?" He finally asked.

Callen shook his head, negatively. "The boys." He said, tone barely more than a whisper.

"Boys at school?" Deeks asked back, becoming more leery of what was on the other side of Callen's emotional wall. This was partially bringing back parts of his own past that he kept hidden away. He knew what being bullied was like...

With his gaze still averted, G mumbled, "Foster brothers."

Deeks leaned in closer, fighting back his anger at the past. "You're okay now. We won't let them hurt you anymore."

Callen began taking in quick, shallow breaths. He turned and looked up at Marty with panic in his eyes. "Danny—" He panted. "You can't tell— They'll make me go back."

"Don't worry, G. Nobody's going to make you go back to that house."

Rather than being calmed, Callen's anxiety intensified. "No! To the orphanage— The Social Worker lady said— they'll send me back there— if I give foster parents trouble."

Heart pounding, Marty was having difficulty understanding a place so bad that abuse from foster brothers would be preferable. "G, just let me take care of it."

Callen's panic only escalated. "No, Danny! Last time you did— The Director… You can't…"

Deeks' eyes narrowed, his stomach tightening. He didn't have to be a detective to get what was going on here. A quick glance up at Sam's upset face showed that he was following just as well. "The Director punished you the last time I told what someone did to you?"

Callen paused, slowing his breathing enough to speak. "You remember. She thought I told you… She said I broke one of her rules."

The sudden urge to go back to Callen's past and punch someone in the face was shared throughout the room in an instant. Sam and Kensi shared a look that expressed their rage.

Both forcing down his anger and trying to think clearly, Marty asked, "What are her rules, G?"

Callen blinked up at Deeks in confusion. "You know."

"Yeah. But tell me again."

G's gaze drifted off to the left. He swallowed hard, and then quietly recited the rules. "'You never tattle, you never complain, and you never, ever cry. Only babies cry.'"

The room fell silent while Deeks looked up to exchange angry glances with Sam, and then Kensi.

Inhaling, Deeks calmed himself. Then he mirrored what Kensi had done earlier, placing his fingers on Callen's jaw, and gently guided his face toward him until he achieved eye contact. "G, listen to me. You don't ever have to go back to that place. I'll make sure you never have to see that Director person again." Marty gripped Callen's face just a little tighter. "I promise."

When his jaw had been released, G's eyes filled with tears. He looked down in defeat, and slowly shook his head. "You can't keep that promise," He said softly. "Nobody can."

Deeks was still searching his thoughts for an adequate response when Callen's body suddenly tensed. G raised he head up off the pillow and looked intently at his right hand. "Too cold!"

"I know," Deeks sympathized. "But you have to be still."

The rational side of Kensi knew this cold treatment was necessary. But her heart kept telling her to walk around to where her partner was standing and just take the icepack off Callen's arm, already. So she did the only thing she could from her position – she rested her hand on top of the covers, just over Callen's left foot.

With his eyes still locked on his hand, Callen's breath hitched. "Please. Make it stop," He whimpered.

Sam picked up his phone that had been resting on Callen's stomach. He held it up in front of his partner's face. "Ten minutes, G. You're halfway there. Stay with me, buddy."

Callen looked at the timer with unfocused eyes while simultaneously suppressing a strong grimace. After a few more struggling breaths, he closed his eyes, let his head fall back to the pillow, and nodded.

Now that Callen seemed to have gained back a bit of control, Deeks continued with his attempt to divert his attention by getting him to talk. "G… The places you've stayed… Have any of them been good?"

Callen gazed off to the left. The right corner of his mouth began to turn up slightly. "The Parkers," He said softly. "Got to be there almost a month." Callen cringed suddenly, and looked down at his hand. "It's too cold… Take it off… please," He pleaded between quick breaths.

"Just seven more minutes," Sam announced. "Hang in there, G."

Apparently concentrating on schooling his emotions, Callen closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip. When his breathing had slowed, he swiped his bloody lips with his tongue.

"Good, G," Marty encouraged. "Take deep breaths. That's it."

But almost immediately, Callen's brow tensed from oncoming, intense pain.

Deeks placed his hand on Callen's upper arm. "G. Tell me about the Parkers."

Callen finally relaxed, and a hint of a smile reappeared on his face. His eyes, once again, cut back to the left, as if visualizing something. "They were nice… Mrs. Parker took me to the store. She let me pick out my own cereal."

"You liked 'em, huh?"

Callen nodded. His smile broadened a little. "They never sent me to bed without supper." The smile suddenly vanished and Callen's eyes pooled with unshed tears. "I was hoping they would let me stay with them," He continued, even more softly. "Maybe if I got to eat more, I would grow bigger… and people would stop…" His voice faded.

Deeks cleared his throat, looking down, now sure that the unchartered waters might be too dangerous.

Seeing another glimpse of what his partner had experienced as a child, Sam felt both sad and angry. He rubbed his throat, attempting to dissolve the knot that had formed.

Thirty seconds later, Callen grimaced and cried out more loudly, "Please… Too cold… Can't…"

"Yes, you can," Sam said firmly. "Almost done, G."

Seeing that Callen was close to losing control, Deeks held his arm in place, ensuring the icepack stayed on for the designated amount of time.

Callen squirmed and grunted until the timer on Sam's phone beeped, and the freezing cold pack was removed from his hand. After several more quick breaths, his body relaxed. With exhaustion in his eyes, he looked at Marty, and a small smile formed. "Danny," He said faintly, blinking more slowly now.

Deeks leaned in closer so that he could hear. "Yeah, Buddy?"

"Tell Director…" Callen's eyes drooped closed for a couple of seconds before reopening.

"Tell Director what, G?"

A small, crooked smile appeared on Callen's face. "Tell her… I didn't cry." Callen's smile faded and his eyes slid shut.

HisH

HisH